I don't tie dries that much or fish them for that matter but am tired of not tying them. I set my mind to it this weekend and whiped up some hendricksons. Let me know your thoughts on this fly. I think it looks pretty decent for the first couple dries in about 2 years.

Don't mind my plaid comfy pants

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DARK HENDRICKSON.jpg(130.56 KB)

Posted on: 2013/3/25 9:52

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dryflyguy wrote:Pretty nice, although it looks like you made the body gray.Male hendricksons - which I assume you're referring to by DARK - have a rusty red colored body.

You not getting senile DFG...you are correct.

The dark hendrickson is pattern that has been tied for many years, and I've never really understood why it is gray. It may work, like many other fly patterns, the exact color is seldom important.

The male hendrickson is ususally a brown/red brown color, while the female has a tan/sometimes pinkish body. A red quill (reddish brown quill tied in for the body) is a good imitation of the male. Most female versions use a dubbed tannish/pinkish body.

One other thing, hendricksons hatch from their shuck right on top of the water, therefore low floating patterns like comparaduns and parachutes work well, especially patterns that incorporate a trailing shuck. Also emerger patterns that sit in the film are often killer.

A Catskill tie that sits high on the water would be my last choice as a style of fly to use during a hendrickson hatch.

dryflyguy wrote:Pretty nice, although it looks like you made the body gray.Male hendricksons - which I assume you're referring to by DARK - have a rusty red colored body.

You not getting senile DFG...you are correct.

The dark hendrickson is pattern that has been tied for many years, and I've never really understood why it is gray. It may work, like many other fly patterns, the exact color is seldom important.

The male hendrickson is ususally a brown/red brown color, while the female has a tan/sometimes pinkish body. A red quill (reddish brown quill tied in for the body) is a good imitation of the male. Most female versions use a dubbed tannish/pinkish body.

One other thing, hendricksons hatch from their shuck right on top of the water, therefore low floating patterns like comparaduns and parachutes work well, especially patterns that incorporate a trailing shuck. Also emerger patterns that sit in the film are often killer.

A Catskill tie that sits high on the water would be my last choice as a style of fly to use during a hendrickson hatch.

Excellent post.

Would you suggest a Catskill style for something like a QG which emerges on the stream bed and swims to the surfaces as a dun already?

afishinado wrote:The dark hendrickson is pattern that has been tied for many years, and I've never really understood why it is gray. It may work, like many other fly patterns, the exact color is seldom important.

Without knowing the real answer, I can still guess.

You go back far enough, it was tied on maroon or crimson thread. The proper amount of hare dubbing, especially as it gets wet, will turn that the colour you've specified.

Now, people just use too much dubbing and default to black thread because they're stupid.

While I don't have written proof, I suspect very few flies in antiquity were tied exclusively on black thread (silk), as black has always been the weakest colour due to the fact that makers used black dye to cover imperfections.

Hendricksons I've seen in PA are a dark reddish brown or a pinkish yellow. Ones male and ones female. The red quill is the spinner for both. Usually # 14 or #12, depends on the stream. You use a quill body not fur.

Posted on: 2013/3/25 14:26

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I strayed from the Catskill patterns for the Hendricksons and Quill Gordons in the early 70's. Not to underestimate their fish catching abilities, but they just didn't look like the real thing to me. So I bought a gray/dun hen neck and substitued cut wings and later used wing burners when they became available. I also used Mink tail guard hairs for the tail. The next step up was split tails. My hackle splays more than the Catskill tie, and is generally smaller (hook gap to hackle size). I still tie them the same way, but I use microfibetts for the tail. They float flush with the water.

Posted on: 2013/3/25 17:01

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afishinado wrote:The dark hendrickson is pattern that has been tied for many years, and I've never really understood why it is gray. It may work, like many other fly patterns, the exact color is seldom important.

Without knowing the real answer, I can still guess.

You go back far enough, it was tied on maroon or crimson thread. The proper amount of hare dubbing, especially as it gets wet, will turn that the colour you've specified.

Now, people just use too much dubbing and default to black thread because they're stupid.

While I don't have written proof, I suspect very few flies in antiquity were tied exclusively on black thread (silk), as black has always been the weakest colour due to the fact that makers used black dye to cover imperfections.

That's kinda like the way that tradition hendrickson patterns are tied with brown wood duck or mallard flank wing materiel. But their wings are slate gray. And theses imitations work. I guess winding all of that dun hackle gives the appearance of gray wings to the fish from below. Or they just don't care much about the wing color.

Your proportions are quite good. Most modern fly fishers think of a Ep subvaria in the male or female sense and the fly patterns as Hendrickson or Red Quill. I believe the terms Dark Hendrickson & Light Hendrickson are somewhat archaic and not in general usage very much any longer. At least not with the fly fishers I know.

Ask fifty guys who tie to show you their rendition of these flies and you'll probably get fifty variations of the general theme.